{"id":9262,"date":"2014-09-08T15:05:27","date_gmt":"2014-09-08T15:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/?page_id=9262"},"modified":"2026-04-03T17:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:35:14","slug":"the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-and-colored-pencils-part-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-and-colored-pencils-part-1","title":{"rendered":"The Colored Pencil Course &#8211; Watercolor and Colored Pencils Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"coursetitlecontainer\">\n<div class=\"coursetitle\">\n<h1><span>The Colored Pencil Course:<\/span> Watercolor and Colored Pencils - Part 1<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"insertbackground\">\n<div class=\"removep\">\n<div class=\"videoflexwrapper\">\n<div class=\"videotop\">\n  <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/126867808?color=ffffff&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebartop\">\n<div class=\"vertalign\">\n<div class=\"logoimage\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/logosmall75.png\"><\/div>\n<p>\n    <div class=\"sidebarcarddescriptiondark\">\n<span>JOIN THE VIRTUAL INSTRUCTOR<\/span><br>\n    Get ALL of our courses, ebooks, live lessons, critiques, lesson plans and more today.\n<\/div>\n    <\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebarbuttonholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttonsmem\">START FREE TRIAL<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<hr style=\"background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:1.5em;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/register-the-colored-pencil-course\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttons\">BUY COURSE $67<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperkscontainer\">\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><span>This course features:<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><i class=\"far fa-clock\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>5 Hours of Instruction<\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><i class=\"fas fa-film\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>22 Videos<\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><i class=\"fas fa-book\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>21 eBooks<\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><i class=\"fas fa-shield-alt\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/i>30 Day Money Back Guarantee<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p>\n\n<div class=\"contentfix\">\n<div class=\"favorites\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tabs\">\n  <input name=\"tabs\" type=\"radio\" id=\"tab-1\" checked=\"checked\" class=\"input\"\/><br \/>\n  <label for=\"tab-1\" class=\"label\">Description<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"panel\">\n<h2>Lesson Description<\/h2>\n<p>Welcome to Lesson 18 of <em>The Colored Pencil Course<\/em>. In this lesson, we begin exploring the exciting combination of watercolor and colored pencils. This is the first part of a two-part demonstration that introduces techniques for integrating watercolor painting with colored pencil drawing. By the end of this lesson, you will understand how to create a strong foundation using watercolor and prepare your work for the addition of colored pencil details.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Combine Watercolor and Colored Pencils?<\/h2>\n<p>Combining watercolor with colored pencils allows artists to achieve a unique range of effects that are difficult to achieve with either medium alone. Watercolor provides vibrant washes, soft gradients, and a luminous background, while colored pencils offer precision, detail, and the ability to layer textures. In this lesson, Matt explains the benefits of this mixed-media approach and how it can enhance your artwork by providing depth, color variation, and a professional finish.<\/p>\n<h2>Choosing Materials and Supplies<\/h2>\n<p>Before beginning, it\u2019s important to gather the right materials. In this section, Matt discusses the types of watercolor paper, paints, brushes, and colored pencils best suited for combining these media. He emphasizes using high-quality supplies to ensure smooth application, vibrant colors, and durability of your finished artwork. Understanding your materials helps you achieve more predictable and satisfying results.<\/p>\n<h2>Planning the Composition<\/h2>\n<p>Every successful drawing starts with careful planning. In this lesson, we begin by lightly sketching strawberries onto watercolor paper. Matt explains how to plan shapes, spacing, and overall composition before applying any paint. This step ensures that your final piece will be balanced and visually appealing. Planning also helps you identify areas where watercolor will provide the base colors and where colored pencils will add fine details later.<\/p>\n<h2>Applying Watercolor \u2013 Base Layer<\/h2>\n<p>The focus of this lesson is applying the first layer of watercolor to the strawberries. Matt demonstrates how to mix colors to create vibrant reds and subtle highlights, giving the strawberries a natural, juicy appearance. Techniques include wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry applications to control how colors blend and flow. You\u2019ll learn how to build transparency, create smooth gradients, and avoid overworking the paint, which is essential for maintaining the luminosity of watercolor.<\/p>\n<h2>Working with Light and Shadow<\/h2>\n<p>Light and shadow are key to making strawberries appear three-dimensional. In this section, Matt explains how to observe light sources and incorporate soft shadows and highlights in your watercolor base. By establishing value and contrast in this first stage, you set the foundation for adding colored pencil details later. This approach ensures that your strawberries have depth and realism from the very beginning of the process.<\/p>\n<h2>Preparing for Colored Pencil Layering<\/h2>\n<p>Once the watercolor base is complete, it\u2019s important to prepare the surface for colored pencil application. Matt provides tips for ensuring that the paper texture is suitable for layering pencils without disturbing the watercolor wash. He also explains how to judge when the paint is fully dry and how to avoid smudging or lifting areas when you begin adding colored pencil details in the next lesson.<\/p>\n<h2>Practical Exercises and Observational Tips<\/h2>\n<p>At the end of the lesson, practical exercises encourage you to practice color mixing, brush control, and subtle value transitions. Matt emphasizes the importance of observation, suggesting that you study real strawberries or reference photos to understand color, light, and texture. These exercises build confidence and prepare you for the second part of the demonstration, where colored pencils will enhance and refine the initial watercolor work.<\/p>\n<p>Lesson 18 introduces the fundamentals of combining watercolor and colored pencils. By focusing on planning, composition, watercolor application, and value, you establish a strong foundation for adding detailed colored pencil layers. This mixed-media approach allows you to achieve vibrant, realistic strawberries and prepares you for more complex applications in future projects. Completing this lesson gives you confidence in using watercolor as a base and sets the stage for refining your work with colored pencils in the next module.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <input name=\"tabs\" type=\"radio\" id=\"tab-2\" class=\"input\"\/><br \/>\n  <label for=\"tab-2\" class=\"label\">Materials<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"panel\">\n<h2>Lesson Materials<\/h2>\n<p>Canson coldpress illustration board, Prismacolor colored pencils, colorless blender, watercolor paints, nylon brushes, water, liquid masking fluid, kneaded eraser.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <input name=\"tabs\" type=\"radio\" id=\"tab-3\" class=\"input\"\/><br \/>\n  <label for=\"tab-3\" class=\"label\">Resources<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"panel\">\n<h2>Lesson Resources<\/h2>\n<p><i class=\"fas fa-lock\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>Download eBook<\/p>\n<p><i class=\"fas fa-lock\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>Reference Image<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><input name=\"tabs\" type=\"radio\" id=\"tab-4\" class=\"input\"\/><br \/>\n  <label for=\"tab-4\" class=\"label\">Curriculum<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"panel\">\n<h2>Course Curriculum<\/h2>\n<div class=\"curriculumcontainer\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-introduction-and-materials\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 1: Introduction and Materials (4:12)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-colored-pencil-basics\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 2: Colored Pencil Basics (15:44)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-the-magic-of-burnishing\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 3: The Magic of Burnishing (19:20)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-value-and-the-underpainting\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 4: Value and Underpainting (17:11)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-using-color-theory-in-drawings\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 5: Color Theory (21:53)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-composition-and-still-life\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 6: Composition and Still Life (23:08)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-reflection-and-transparency\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 7: Reflection and Transparency (15:56)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-transferring-images\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 8: Transferring Images (9:03)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-creating-texture-part-1\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 9: Creating Texture - Part 1 (17:13)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-creating-texture-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 10: Creating Texture - Part 2 (15:55)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-landscape-drawing-part-1\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 11: Landscape Drawing - Part 1 (14:42)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-landscape-drawing-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 12: Landscape Drawing - Part 2 (16:05)<\/a\n\n><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-1\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 13: Portrait Drawing - Part 1 (15:55)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 14: Portrait Drawing - Part 2 (11:29)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-3\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 15: Portrait Drawing - Part 3 (12:13)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-4\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 16: Portrait Drawing - Part 4 (13:03)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-5\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 17: Portrait Drawing - Part 5 (9:37)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-and-colored-pencils-part-1\" class=\"curriculumselected\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 18: Watercolor and Colored Pencils - Part 1 (15:03)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-and-colored-pencils-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 19: Watercolor and Colored Pencils - Part 2 (10:48)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-pencils-part-1\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 20: Watercolor Pencils - Part 1 (13:07)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-pencils-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 21: Watercolor Pencils - Part 2 (11:07)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-conclusion\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 22: Conclusion (4:32)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebarbottom\">\n<div class=\"relatedcourse\">Your Instructor<\/div>\n<div class=\"instructor\">\n<div class=\"instructorimage\">\n<div class=\"instructorpic\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/images\/mattauthor.jpg\" alt=\"Matt Fussell - Instructor\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"instructorname\">Matt Fussell<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instructordes\">\n<p>Founder of The Virtual Instructor, artist and teacher. Matt makes learning art easy to understand and enjoyable.<\/p>\n<p><div style=\"padding-top:10px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/author\/admin\">Learn more about Matt<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relatedcoursescontainer\">\n<div class=\"relatedcourse\">Related Courses and Classes<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/3-little-birds-with-colored-pencils\" class=\"sidebarbottom-curriculum\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"leftlean\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>3 Little Birds with Colored Pencils<\/div>\n<div class=\"rightlean\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/3-little-birds-with-colored-pencils-course.jpg');\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/colored-pencils-plus\" class=\"sidebarbottom-curriculum\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"leftlean\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Colored Pencils PLUS<\/div>\n<div class=\"rightlean\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Colored-Pencils-Plus-Course.jpg');\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/peacock-with-colored-pencils\" class=\"sidebarbottom-curriculum\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"leftlean\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Peacock with Colored Pencils<\/div>\n<div class=\"rightlean\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Peacock-colored-pencils-lesson-series-400.jpg');\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Colored Pencil Course: Watercolor and Colored Pencils &#8211; Part 1 Description Lesson Description Welcome to Lesson 18 of The Colored Pencil Course. In this lesson, we begin exploring the exciting combination of watercolor and colored pencils. This is the first part of a two-part demonstration that introduces techniques for integrating watercolor painting with colored [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"paget-iframe.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9262","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9262"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46205,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9262\/revisions\/46205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}